Tool for fastening wire ties.



-' No, 721,434. PATENTED FEB, 24, 1903.

- V A. EDEBUBN. TOOL FOR FASTENING WIRE TIES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1902. 4 no MODEL. 1 I Y a SHEETS-SHEET 2QINVENTBR' PATENTED FEB. 24, 1903.

' v A. N. EDEBURN.

TOOL FOR FASTENING WIRE TIES;

- APPLIOATION IILIFD APR. 21, 1902. N0 MODEL. '3 SHEETS-SE23: 3.

I .I I 1 v D f/7 MW ANY UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED N. EDEBURN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO H. H.HODELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TOOL FOR FASTENING -WIRE TIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,434, dated February24, 1903.

7 Application filed April 21, 1902. $erial No. 103.905. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED N. EDEBURN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tools for Fastening WireTies; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of'the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to tools for fastening wire ties; and the inventionconsists in a tool constructed especially to fasten or clamp the styleof tie shown herein and hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of a section of wire fence, showinga series of intersecting wires secured together by my improved tie andin which the ties at the left have been fastened by the fastening tool,which is also shown in perspective view thereon, while the ties at theextreme right of the perspective view of the tie in the form it is soldto the consumer and placed on the fence, as seen 1n Fig. 1 and Figs. 3to 8, inclusive.-

Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, show intersecting wires and my new improved tiethereon. In Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the tie is seen from three differentpoints of view, but only as placed on the fence by hand and left to befastened. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show the tie in corresponding views to Figs.3, 4., and 5 and as it appears after it has been fastened. Fig. 9 is aplan view of my improved tool in open relation, and Fig. 10 is a sideelevation thereof and likewise open. Fig. 11 is a perspective view ofthe plunger jaws or dies, and Fig. 12 is a side view of the front end ofsaid plunger. Fig. 13 is a cross-section of the device on line w to,Fig. 10. Fig. 1 1 is a plan view corre sponding to Fig. 9, but with'theplunger-jaws partially closed; and Fig. 15 is alongitudinal sectionalelevation on lines 2 z, Fig. 14, show ing the relations of partsinacting position upon the tie. Fig. 16 is a planview on line a; 00,Fig. 15; .and Fig. 17 is a plan view on line y y, Fig. 15.

The invention as thus shown is to be understood as being confined to thetool itself,

.endwise.

and the construction of the tool is of course such as adapts itparticularly to the style of wire tie shown in the drawings.

As thus shown, the tie A is fashioned out of a piece of wire, with twosubstantially U- shaped portions or bends a and a at right angles toeach other and spaced apart just wide enough to receive one of the wiresof the fence. The extremities of the wire a are preferably beveled andprojected inparallel vertical and horizontal lines and in a plane withthe bend a. The bend a is practically double, there being two bends inthetie in the continuance of the wire from the bend a. It will be seenthat according to this construction of tie and as it further appearsupon the wires B and O in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 when in the position shownin a fence and at the right, Fig. 1, the wires and the tie also areinseparably connected, although not yet clampedthat is, the tie cannotbe removed and nothing can separate the wires unless they be withdrawnThis leaves nothing to be done by the tool but to bend and clamp theextremities 0. of the wire, Figs. 7 and 8,'and in which operation thebending or clamping of the tie is accomplished with such force that thewires themselves, and especially the vertical wire,

are more or less bent at the point of union, thus interlocking them andmaking the tie most effectual for all purposes. Included in thisclampingor fastening operation there is therefore not only the bendingof the extremities a together, but also the forcing together ofallportions of the tie and the intersecting wires to the form seen inFigs. 6, 7, and 8, and wherein all slack has been taken up by theextremities a Now referring-to the tool itself it will be seen thatitcomprises, first of all, asingle-handled body portion D, which may bebuilt of several pieces or wholly in a single piece; but for conveniencein manufacturing it is constructedin two or more pieces,which are unitedby screws or otherwise tofasteh-themfirmly together. As thus shown,thesaid body is seen to have several individual features, comprising ahorizontal recess 2, about half its depth from the top downward, and acentral vertiroe cal slot 3, traversing said recess from the outer endof the body and adapted to receive the vertical wire of the fence, Fig.1, the wire being entered with the tool below the tie and the tool thenbeing raised to bring the tie into recess 2, as shown, or, for thatmatter, the tool mightbe reversed; but then the tie should be inreversed position also, or the tie might be placed so as to work withthe line-wire in slot 3, and thus go from joint to joint horizontally ofthe fence instead of following one of the tie-wires up and down. Thiswould require a quarter-turn of the tool; but for the purpose of thisdescription the tool will be regarded as working as here shown. At thebase of recess 2 there is a side slot 4, adapted to receive theline-wire, and an opposite slot 5 receives the head of plunger G, whichhas wings 6, adapted to enter between the sides of the tie and bearagainst the line-wire directly at the sides of the vertical wire, Fig.16.

The fixed jaw of the tool in the front end of body D is made to conformto the shape of the tie in the angle of slots 3 and 4:, Figs. 15 and 16,and is recessed on curved lines on each side of slot 3 just deep enoughto accommodate one side or bend of the tie from the middle of bend a tothe extremities a Assuming now that the tool has been ontered for work,as in Fig. 1, with the unclenched tie in recess 2, the next operation isto clamp the tie in place. This is done by holding the tool with onehand and operating lever L with the other. This lever actuates twoplungers G and H successively. Plunger G acts first and bears againstmiddle bend a, crowding the stock therein and the vertical wire againstwhich it presses inward with great power upon line-wire B. Then as saidplunger has done this work the plunger H below comes into action andcompletes the clamping. Plunger G has a cavity 7, conforming to bend CL,and wings 6, which bear against the line-wire in slot 4 at each side ofvertical wire C. Plunger H lies directly beneath plunger G, Fig. 15, andhas a semicircular recess or cavity 8 closed across its top bya lip andserving as a shaping and clamping space for the beveled ends a of thetie. These ends being small and thin at their points are easilydeflected inward toward each other on the sides of said cavity as theplunger closes, and what is thus definitely begun must also be broughtto a finish on the same lines as lever L is drawn back to the end of itsstroke. Thus the ends a are bent and clamped and the tie is forciblylocked on the wires. Practically, therefore,the device comprises a fixedjaw in the head of part D and a movable jaw comprising the plungers Gand H. These practically constitute one jaw and are so regarded, thoughthey are separate parts, and their action is practically simultaneous,although successive in time. Now in order to operate the said plungers I.employ the single lever L, which has two cam-surfaces 10 and 12 at itsend, the surface 10 engaging plunger G and surface 12 engaging plungerH, and one plunger is slidable on the other, and the two are confinedtogether within the body of the tool. When lever L is reversed after anaction, the plungers are withdrawn by spring S, which is engaged at 9 tobody D and at the other end to pin 14 on the plunger G, projectingthrough a slot in the tool-body. Lip 15 on the lower plun ger comesagainst projection 6 on the upper plunger, and thus the lower plunger isdrawn back also with the upper one. As the wires and tie engage snuglyin the fixed jaw of the tool after being locked together, it isnecessary that some means he provided to dislodge them, and to this endI employ a releasing mechanism, consisting in this instance of aso-called yoke N, pivoted at its sides on body D and so arranged as tobe open, Fig. 9, when the tool is open and to close behind the wire thatcomes in slot 3 when the parts are more or less closed, Fig. 14, pins 11serving as stops to its rearward movement. A push-rod R, connected withlever L, engages said yoke to open it, and the yoke might also be closedfrom this lever; but as it is here shown a spring 16 tilts it back toclosed or closing position when pressure by rod R 1s withdrawn, and thenthe vertical wire bears against it, Fig. 14:,

Obviously some or all of the details of the construction thus shown anddescribed may be substituted by equivalent constructions and parts andkeep within my invention, and such changes are understood to be withinthe scope of my invention and claims.

Respecting cam-surfaces 10 and 12, operating on plungers G and H,respectively, it will be seen that cam 10 comes into operation first anddrives plunger G forward its full depth practically before cam 12 beginsto work and that cam 12 completes its work with the end of stroke oflever L, while cam 10 completes its work on about the half-stroke ofsaid lever; but as it is only an instant from one end of said stroke tothe other the two plungers act at the same time substantially.

What I claim is- 1. The toolhaving a head with fixed jaw and slots atright angles therein and a recess for the tie, a set of plungers, and alever and mechanism constructed to drive one plunger forward in advanceof the other toward the fixed jaw, substantially as described.

2. The tool for clamping wire ties having a body portion with a fixedhandle and a fixed jaw in its outer end, in combination with a set ofplungers constructed each with a portion of a movable jaw to work withsaid fixed jaw and a lever provided with cam-surfaces of different pitchfor said plungers, substan- -tially as described.

3. The body of the tool having an opening therein from side to sidelengthwise and a fixed jaw at its front end, in combination with amovable jaw comprising a set of plungers located in said opening and alever engaging said plungers and pivoted in said opening and constructedto actuate said plungers different distances, substantially asdescribed.

4. The tool having a fixed jaw, a set of plungers together constitutinga movable jaw and having each a semicircular cavity in its working endand a lever constructed to actuate said plungers successively,substantially as described.

5. The tool having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw consisting of twoplungers, said plungers each having a cavity in its working end and alip on one of said plungers between said cavities, substantially asdescribed.

6. The tool having a fixed jaw, in combination with a set of plungershaving each a cavity in its outer end and lateral wings on the lowerplunger at its outer end, substantially as described. l

7. The tool-body, aset of plungers one over the other therein, and meansto withdraw both plungers at the same time after an action comprising aretracting-spring and a pin on the upper plunger engaged by said springand a projection on the lower plunger engaging the upper one,substantially as described.

8. A tool for fastening ties on intersecting wires having a fixed and amovable jaw, and a device to release the wires and tie comprising a yokepivoted on the head of the tool, the operating-lever and a push-rodconnected therewith and engaging said yoke, substantially as described.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification this 14th day of April,1902.

ALFRED N. EDEBURN.

Witnesses! R. B. MOSER, T. M. MADDEN.

